How many marks is the IB Film IA worth?

The Film portfolio is marked out of 24. Each of the three production roles receives up to 4 marks for Criterion A and 4 marks for Criterion B, producing a maximum of 8 marks per role. The resulting portfolio score contributes 40% of the final grade at SL and 25% at HL. The IB converts the component mark through the assessment process rather than treating 24 marks as 24 percentage points of the final subject result. Component and overall grade boundaries may also vary between examination sessions.

Is the Collaborative film project part of the IB Film IA?

Under the current guide, the Film portfolio is the internally assessed component for SL and HL. The Collaborative film project is an additional HL component classified as externally assessed. It carries 35% of the HL grade and is marked out of 24 using three criteria worth 8 marks each. HL students submit a completed film of up to 7 minutes and an individual project report of up to 2,000 words. Students should therefore use the Collaborative film project rubric rather than applying the two portfolio criteria to that task.

Do all three IB Film production roles need separate evidence?

Yes, the portfolio criteria are applied separately to each of the three chosen roles. Each role has a maximum of three portfolio pages and three minutes of reel evidence. A single clip may come from collaborative work, but your particular contribution and assessed role must be clear. You should choose evidence that directly demonstrates the relevant responsibilities and skills rather than relying on the overall quality of the film. Weak evidence in one role cannot simply be replaced by stronger work in another because the marks are allocated role by role.

What is the difference between explanation and evaluation in Criterion A?

Explanation establishes how and why your research or experimentation affected a production decision. Evaluation goes further by judging how effective that decision was, using specific evidence from the process or resulting footage. It should identify strengths, limitations, consequences, and possible alternatives rather than merely stating that something worked. A strong evaluation also explains what the experience taught you about the responsibilities or craft of the role. This distinction matters because the top descriptor expects a compelling and discerning evaluation, not only a detailed account.

Can unsuccessful footage still help my Film portfolio mark?

Unsuccessful work can contribute meaningfully to Criterion A when it reveals thoughtful experimentation and learning. You should explain the original intention, diagnose why the result was ineffective, and show how the finding changed your subsequent approach. However, Criterion B still assesses the proficiency demonstrated by the selected reel, so weak footage should not be included merely because it generated a useful reflection. A productive strategy is to document the failed test in the pages and select the improved result for the reel. This demonstrates development without weakening the practical evidence unnecessarily.

Does expensive equipment improve an IB Film IA score?

No criterion awards marks for the price or professional status of your equipment. The marker considers how effectively you apply role-specific techniques to communicate meaning. A phone camera used with controlled framing, exposure, movement, and lighting can demonstrate stronger cinematography than an expensive camera used without clear intention. Similarly, sophisticated editing depends on rhythm, structure, continuity, and purposeful juxtaposition rather than elaborate software effects. Equipment matters only to the extent that you understand its limitations and use it deliberately.

Back to all posts

IB Film IA Criteria Explained: How It Is Marked

IB Film Internal Assessment IB IA

RevisionDojo Team

•Last updated: 14 Oct 2026•10 min read

Add as a preferred source on Google

IB Film IA Criteria Explained: How It Is Marked

Join 650k+ students breezing through the IBReady to breeze through the IB?

Back to all posts

IB Film IA Criteria Explained: How It Is Marked

IB Film Internal Assessment IB IA

RevisionDojo Team

•Last updated: 14 Oct 2026•10 min read

Add as a preferred source on Google

The IB Film IA criteria assess how thoughtfully you evaluate your development as a filmmaker and how effectively your selected footage demonstrates practical skill. Under the current Film guide, the internally assessed Film portfolio is worth 40% at SL and 25% at HL.

The portfolio is marked out of 24. For each of three production roles, you can receive up to 4 marks for Criterion A, covering the portfolio pages, and 4 marks for Criterion B, covering the film reel.

What counts as the IB Film IA?

The current IB Film course information identifies the Film portfolio as the internally assessed component for both SL and HL. Your teacher marks it, after which the work is subject to IB moderation.

HL students also complete the Collaborative film project, but this is externally assessed. It should not be confused with the Film portfolio, even though both involve practical filmmaking.

Component	Level	Assessment status	Weighting
Film portfolio	SL	Internal assessment	40%
Film portfolio	HL	Internal assessment	25%
Collaborative film project	HL only	External assessment	35%

Some older resources describe a production portfolio with five criteria covering areas such as planning, technical skill, film language, and creativity. Those criteria belong to an earlier syllabus. The current portfolio uses Criterion A and Criterion B, applied separately to three roles.

Film portfolio submission requirements

You select three distinct film production roles from those permitted by the guide. These normally include cinematographer, director, editor, sound, and writer.

You submit:

Up to 9 portfolio pages, with no more than 3 pages per role
A list of sources used
One film reel of no more than 9 minutes, with up to 3 minutes per role
At least one completed film lasting no more than 3 minutes within the reel

The reel contains three chapters, one for each role. A 10-second black slate identifies each chapter and is excluded from the time limit. The guide recommends that individual clips generally last at least 30 seconds, but evidence quality matters more than filling every available second.

A contents page, clip list with timecodes, and source list are excluded from the nine-page limit. Always follow your teacher's current submission instructions because presentation and upload procedures can change.

How the 24 marks are allocated

Assessed evidence	Role 1	Role 2	Role 3	Total
Criterion A: Portfolio pages	4	4	4	12
Criterion B: Film reel	4	4	4	12
Total	8	8	8	24

The role-by-role structure matters. Exceptional editing cannot compensate directly for weak cinematography documentation because every role receives separate Criterion A and Criterion B marks.

Criterion A: Portfolio pages

Criterion A considers how effectively you evaluate the ways research, creative exploration, and production work, guided by filmmaker intentions, shaped your understanding of each role.

A strong section establishes a connected process:

Define a precise creative intention.
Research relevant films, filmmakers, conventions, or techniques.
Test and apply ideas through practical work.
Evaluate what the process taught you about the role.

Mark	What the work generally demonstrates
1	Intentions and understanding are limited, unclear, or sometimes inaccurate.
2	Clear intentions and a mostly relevant description of research and production, although development is uneven.
3	Detailed explanation connecting research, experimentation, decisions, and learning accurately to the role.
4	Compelling, discerning evaluation showing sophisticated understanding, supported judgments, and recognition of limitations.

The main distinction is the level of thinking. Description states what happened, explanation shows why it happened, and evaluation judges effectiveness and draws conclusions.

For example: “I used low-key lighting to create isolation” explains a choice. A stronger evaluation would add that the lighting worked in close-up but lost contrast in the wide shot because of ambient light, leading to a revised setup. This connects intention, action, evidence, judgment, and learning.

Useful evidence includes lighting tests for cinematography, rehearsal notes for directing, alternative cuts for editing, microphone comparisons for sound, and revised drafts for writing. Visuals should prove claims rather than decorate pages. The RevisionDojo reflection guide provides a practical decision, effect, and learning structure, while the IB Film storyboarding guide shows how planning can become analytical evidence.

Criterion B: Film reel

Criterion B assesses the production skills actually demonstrated in each reel chapter. Commentary cannot rescue footage that does not show the claimed skill, just as excellent footage cannot secure Criterion A marks if the pages only narrate events.

Mark	What the reel generally demonstrates
1	Limited ability, rudimentary techniques, and ineffective results.
2	Acceptable ability, with relevant but inconsistent or underdeveloped technique.
3	Competent proficiency, clear control, and suitable application of role-specific techniques.
4	Sophisticated proficiency, with highly effective selection and application of techniques.

“Sophisticated” does not mean expensive equipment or complicated effects. It means choices are controlled, purposeful, and effective. Sophisticated cinematography might combine exposure, movement, focus, and composition to shape perspective, while sophisticated editing might control rhythm, spatial clarity, and juxtaposition without unnecessary effects.

How best-fit marking works

Teachers use a best-fit approach. They judge which descriptor represents the evidence overall rather than awarding marks for isolated features or counting techniques.

Occasional imperfections do not necessarily prevent a high mark if the selected evidence remains sustained and convincing. Clip selection is therefore important: focused evidence usually performs better than a longer sequence mixing strong work with material that does not clearly demonstrate your role.

Common mistakes that reduce marks

Writing a production diary: Chronology records activity but rarely evaluates learning. Organize the pages around important decisions and their consequences.
Discussing the group's work: Collaboration provides context, but the assessment concerns your understanding and skill in the selected role.
Using vague intentions: “Create suspense” is broad. Identify how your role will produce suspense through specific techniques.
Name-dropping filmmakers: Explain what you observed, tested, adapted, and learned from the influence.
Hiding unsuccessful experiments: A failed test can support Criterion A if you diagnose the problem and show how your approach changed.
Ignoring time limits: Material beyond 3 minutes per role cannot strengthen the assessment. Place your clearest evidence within the permitted duration.
Leaving authorship unclear: Identify your contribution and record collaborators, sources, assets, and permissions accurately. The RevisionDojo guide to integrity in IB Film explains practical attribution and authorship safeguards.

A practical workflow for stronger marks

Collect evidence during production instead of reconstructing your process later. For every significant experiment, preserve the plan, result, and a brief reflection while your reasoning is fresh.

For each role:

State a focused filmmaker intention.
Research a relevant influence or technique.
Conduct and document a practical test.
Explain how the result changed your decisions.
Evaluate the outcome against your intention.
Select reel footage that proves the skill visibly or audibly.

Read each Criterion A section independently, checking that it forms a compact argument about development in that role. Then watch every reel chapter without reading the pages and ask whether the claimed skill remains obvious. Use the Film portfolio mistakes guide for a final audit and consult IB Film coursework examples for evidence organization, not as templates to copy.

Conclusion

The current IB Film IA criteria reward reflective understanding and practical execution. Criterion A assesses your evaluation of intentions, research, experimentation, decisions, and learning, while Criterion B assesses the proficiency demonstrated in the reel.

Because both criteria apply separately to three roles, consistency is essential. RevisionDojo's Film exemplars, Coursework Review, and Jojo AI can help you check that your selected evidence and written evaluation remain aligned with the rubric.